Beyond "pushing play": The implications of technology on music composition and performance

Abstract

Some purveyors of traditional music may see the introduction of electronics and electronic instruments as stains on the grand tapestry of music; yet there are many composers and performers who have embraced the possibilities that can emanate from technology and deftly woven those threads into this aural tapestry. Beyond the realm of the elite lies the concept that humans possess an inherent musicality" - that we have the potential to be musically creative. If everyone is inherently musical, what if they don't possess the means and tools to realize that musicality? What could be a solution? I believe technology is one way that people from all walks of life can compose and perform music. This thesis seeks to explore ways in which technology has and is influencing the composition and performance of music in the early twenty-first century by exploring the use of technology in extending cognitive ability, the use of technology with gesture and extending physical ability, the use of technology with gesture and extending physical ability, and the evaluation and assessment of technologically-composed and-performed music.